Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Nicolas Lopez | This is a graphic of SOCS Edward Byers in the size of 960px.... read more read more
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FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. - Under the darkness of night, Dec. 8, 2012, members of SEAL Team 6 approached a single room building in a remote mountain region of Afghanistan. Inside Dr. Dilip Joseph, an American, was being held hostage.
Joseph, along with his Afghan interpreter, had been abducted just days earlier.
Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Edward C. Byers Jr., along with his team, relied on their skills of surprise, speed and aggressive action to make this rescue operation successful. A nearly four-hour patrol led them to the compound where Joseph was being held. The team made entry, with Byers the second assaulter to make entry. Blankets hung in the doorway and as Byers tried to rip them down, the first assaulter made entry and was shot by AK-47 fire.
Aware of the hostile Taliban threat from inside, Byers entered the room and engaged the guard with the AK-47. As he was engaging that guard, another guard darted toward an AK-47 in the corner of the room. Byers tackled the guard and engaged him in hand-to-hand combat.
By now other team members had entered the room and were calling to Joseph to identify himself. Byers heard an unknown voice speak English from his right side. He immediately leaped across the room and selflessly flung his body on top of the American hostage, shielding him from the continued rounds being fired across the room. Almost simultaneously, Byers identified an additional enemy fighter directly behind Joseph. While covering the hostage with his body, Byers pinned the enemy combatant to the wall with his hand around the enemy's throat. Unable to fire any effective rounds into the enemy, Byers restrained the combatant enough to enable his teammate to fire precision shots, eliminating the final threat within the room.
“I was certain I was going to die,” Joseph later recalled. He was told by his captors that the Americans were not coming for him.
The husband and father of four children was safe; he was going home.
Byers, a certified paramedic and 18D medic (special forces medic), assisted with the rendering of medical aid to his teammate who had been hit by enemy fire. Byers and others performed CPR during the 40-minute helo flight to Bagram Airfield where his teammate and friend, Special Warfare Operator 1st Class (SEAL) Nicholas Checque, was declared deceased.
Just over three years later Chief Byers’ heroic actions were made public as it was announced he would receive the nation’s highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor in a ceremony at the White House Feb. 29.
Just three and a half miles away from the White House is the Pentagon. Inside, on its main concourse is the Hall of Heroes, a room dedicated to the 3,496 recipients of the nation’s highest military decoration. Inside the hall, three glass cases enclose the three versions of the Medal of Honor: one for the sea services representing the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard; one for the Army; and one for the Air Force. Thin silver metal strips, each engraved with a name of a Medal of Honor awardee, line the walls in long columns.
Just one day after being presented the Medal of Honor for his bravery, Byers was inducted into this prestigious hall in a ceremony at the Pentagon Auditorium March 1.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert O. Work, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson spoke at the event and was opened with a prayer led by Deacon Trevor Fernandez, Byers’ brother-in-law.
“Your selfless and heroic actions in the face of a determined enemy reads like a Hollywood script,” said Work. “He acted as both a sword and a shield positing himself between harm and the hostage while simultaneously neutralizing the threats around him. Senior Chief Byers, your story represents the very best of American fighting men and women and it preserves the memory of your comrades and Nicolas Checque. May your medal remind you of the tremendous good your service has brought thus far and of the limitless things that I know you and your teammates will continue to do in the future.”
“I couldn’t be prouder to be part of a ceremony that recognizes a United States Sailor,” said Maybus. “With the highest theour nation has for valor, for heroism and for bravery.”
Maybus also mentioned the piece of steal from the World Trade Center that sits in his office, a gift from Byers’ unit and its inscription: ‘the deed is all, not the glory’ and how that defines the special operations warfare community. “Senior Chief Byers, thank you. You represent thousands of SEALs whose deeds will never be known to a wider audience and you represent them incredibly well. You and all of them exemplify our Navy’s creed Semper Fortis, Always Courageous.”
Richardson spoke of his conversations with past Medal of Honor recipients and their view that it is not about them but all about their teammates. “Senior Chief Byers is emblematic of this generation's continued commitment to those core values: honor, courage and commitment.”
After Byers and his wife unveiled his name that will be placed in the Hall of Heroes, members of the Navy Ceremonial Guard unveiled the Medal of Honor flag to the guests, folded it and presented to Byers.
The flag is based on a concept by retired Army Special Forces First Sergeant Bill Kendall who designed a flag to honor Medal of Honor recipient Army Capt. Darrell Lindsey, a B-26 pilot who was killed during World War II. On Dec. 15, 2004, the design submitted by Sarah LeClerc, an illustrator at The Institute of Heraldry, was approved. The light blue color and 13 white stars are adapted from the Medal of Honor ribbon and the flag edges are lined with gold fringe. The flag commemorates the sacrifice and blood shed for our freedoms and gives emphasis to the Medal of Honor being the highest award for valor by an individual serving in the Armed Forces of the United States.
“I’ve realized throughout my life that time is the most precious commodity you have,” said Byers. “To the heroes in my life and to those who deserve to know that they are the reason I am standing here today. Those heroes are my family, my faith and the brotherhood. Family is the reason I am able to do this job and it’s also the reason to live and to return home safely. Hand in hand with my family is my faith. Prayer has always provided calm amidst chaos for me.”
Byers talked of St. Michael the Archangel and how his prayer helped him through the many missions he has been on.
“On that day just like every day, I prayed,” Byers said, remembering the rescue mission. “I prayed on the way to my target and again I prayed over my brother Nicholas Checque for his soul as he gave his life to save another American.”
“Nick Checque was a warrior, a brother and a friend. I’ve said this before, but this award is inseparable from his death. Nick embodied the brotherhood. Nick embodied what it meant to be a Navy SEAL.”
Byers said of the man who gave the ultimate sacrifice on that cold December night.
Byers and his teammates have been to many funerals at Arlington National Cemetery, burying fellow members of their brotherhood who have sacrificed all for their country.
“So many may ask ‘what keeps you going? How are standing here after such loss?’ The answer is undoubtedly, without question, the brotherhood,” said Byers. “I save the brotherhood for last. I want to emphasize that I am no different than any of my teammates. I’m certain that any one of them would have taken the same exact actions I did that day.”
“I feel a sense of responsibility with the recognition that has been bestowed upon me. My brothers that are still fighting, still in the shadows deserve to share the spotlight where we are a community of quiet professionals and those men would not expect or seek recognition for their actions. I proudly wear this trident to represent the brotherhood and now I’ve been welcomed into another group of exceptional military heroes.”
| Date Taken: | 03.01.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 03.07.2016 11:35 |
| Story ID: | 191392 |
| Location: | FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 678 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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